Person Old Testament
Ishmael
Ishmael son of Jehohanan was a leader in Judah during King Jehoshaphat's reign. Mentioned once in Scripture, at 2 Chronicles 19:11.
Why it matters. Judah's leader under King Jehoshaphat.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Ishmael
Ishmael son of Jehohanan is mentioned as one of the leaders in Judah during the reign of King Jehoshaphat (2Ch.19.11). After Jehoshaphat appointed judges throughout the land, he charged them to judge faithfully and warned them against corruption (2Ch.19.5-10).
In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests, and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the Lord and settle disputes (2Ch.19.8). Amariah the chief priest was over them in matters of the Lord, while Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, was over them in the king's matters (2Ch.19.11).
This brief mention of Ishmael highlights his role as a leader in Judah under Jehoshaphat's rule. He had authority in civil and administrative matters, working alongside the religious leaders who oversaw spiritual concerns. Ishmael's position indicates he was a trusted figure in Jehoshaphat's government, helping to implement the king's reforms and maintain order in the kingdom.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Children
- Zebadiah
Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
2 Chronicles (1 verse)